Method of securing heating elements to ceilings and walls



1968 A. F. DESPOTA ETAL 3,396,218

METHOD OF SECURING HEATING ELEMENTS TO CEILINGS AND WALLS Filed April 9, 1965 Maw 12mm 7 mawflwfiwwot United States Patent 3,396,218 METHOD OF SECURING HEATING ELEMENTS TO CEILINGS AND WALLS Angelo F. Despota, Chicago, David D. Pipkins, Rockford, and William W. Henkel, Wheaton, 11]., assignors to The Valspar Corporation, Rockford, 111., a corporation of Delaware Filed Apr. 9, 1965, Ser. No. 446,991 4 Claims. (Cl. 264-35) ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE Temporarily securing runs of electrical heating Wires to a building surface; extruding a ready-mix joint compound through an applicator; guiding the applicator along the wires and filling the void therebetween to adhesively secure the wires to the surface; and applying a second coat over the first,

This invention relates generally to a method of coating ceiling or wall surfaces of buildings with an extruded layer of a plastic material and more particularly to a method of securing heating elements to ceilings and walls.

It is an object of this invention to provide a method of applying a coating to ceiling or wall surfaces to secure electrical heating elements thereto.

Another object is to provide a method in accordance with the foregoing object and including the step of extruding the material from an applicator at a substantially constant rate.

A further object of this invention is to provide a method of securing heating elements to existing surfaces with a vinyl adhesive material.

A still further object is to provide a method of applying a coating of a plastic material to a ceiling or wall surface having electrical Wires attached thereto, to imbed said wires in the surface.

Other objects and advantages of this invention will become apparent as the method becomes better understood by reference to the following specification taken in light of the accompanying drawings showing the steps of the method wherein:

FIGURE 1 is a perspective View of a ceiling having electrical wires attached thereto and showing the steps of applying a first layer or coating of extruded plastic material to the ceiling by an applicator and applying a second layer over said first layer to provide a substantially smooth finished surface, the layers and wires being shown in exaggerated thickness, and showing a diagrammatic view of a typical apparatus for supplying material to the applicator at a substantially constant rate; and

FIG. 2 is a side view of the applicator showing the step of applying an extruded layer of plastic material to a ceiling or other surface to provide a smooth finished surface and illustrating a typical construction of the applicator.

In modern construction, more and more multi-story buildings are being designed and constructed. Such structure amplifies the general problems which exist in any construction or repair situation where it is desirable to apply a finished surface to a ceiling or wall. By way of illustration, imagine an upper floor of a multi-story structure under construction in which it is desired to finish the ceiling or walls of the building. In modern construction methods, many trades are working simultaneously in a building, and not all conveniences are available to a workman given such a job. For example, there usually is not such conveniences as a water supply, power, or convenient transportation to the upper floors. As a result, applying a gypsum plaster finish to the ceiling or Walls in the usual fashion is extremely inconvenient and expensive 3,396,218 Patented Aug. 6, 1968 "ice since it necessitates scaffolding, water, and leaving the scaffolding in place until time for a second, finish layer of material. This is also extremely inconvenient to other craftsmen who must work around or through the maize of scaffolding to perform their jobs. The present invention involves the method of coating a ceiling or wall surface with a ready-mixed plastic material which requires no water additive. The method also includes the step of standing on the floor while applying the coating to a ceiling or wall so that no scaffolding is required. The plastic material is fast drying, for example need only dry over night before applying a second coat, if required. Thus, even if scaffolding is necessary, as in stairways, the scaffolding need stay in place only a portion of two days for two coatings to be applied. Contrast this with the aforementioned procedure in plastering where scaffolding is allowed to remain in place until the second coat is applied. Not only does it take considerable time to plaster a ceiling by hand, but the first coat must dry several days before a second coat is applied. Thus scaffolding for plastering is unavailable for other use as well as being an obstruction for a long period of time. The present invention involves an improved method of coating a ceiling or wall utilizing a process which is faster and more convenient than has heretofore been available.

There has also been developed various means of heating rooms utilizing electrical power. One such means involves attaching electrical wires to a ceiling, for example, or imbedding such wires in a ceiling. The present invention provides a method of applying a coating to a ceiling or wall having such electrical wires attached thereto.

Referring now to the drawings which serve to illustrate the steps of the method, a building surface, hereinafter sometimes referred to as a ceiling or wall, is generally designated by the numeral 10. The building surface may be of any convenient construction, however, it is herein illustrated as concrete. As illustrated in FIG. 1, attached to the ceiling 10 are a plurality of electrical wires or heating elements 11. These wires may be attached to the ceiling in any convenient manner and is herein illustrated as secured at the extremities by means of plastic clips 13. A first layer 15 of plastic material is shown being extruded and applied by a typical applicator 50. This first layer 15 generally fills the void between the wires 11 and further secures them to the building surface 10. As a result of the application of the first layer 15, the wires may leave a slight trace 12 on the surface. In such case, a second layer of plastic material may be applied to give a substantially smooth finished surface 16.

A typical pumping mechanism 30 is shown diagrammatically in FIG. 1. A platform 31 conveniently has a handle 29 and is conveniently mounted on wheels 32 for moving over a supporting floor 20. The platform supports a hopper 33 which may be of any convenient size and which is adapted to hold a quantity of plastic material 14. A constant displacement type pump 34 draws the material from the hopper through an opening 35 and pumps the material through an outlet connection 36 to a flexible hose 37 which is connected to the handle 51 of the ap plicator 50. A valve 52 is conveniently located in the handle 51 and operates to interrupt the flow of material to the applicator. A conduit 38 is connected to the outlet connection 36 and leads to the hopper 33. A pressure valve 39 is located in the conduit 38 and the combination of the conduit and pressure valve is hereinafter sometimes referred to as a by-pass. When fiow is reduced or interrupted by the valve 52, the pressure will open valve 39 and a portion or all of the material will flow through the by-pass back to the hopper 33. In this manner, the bypass may operate to recirculate the plastic material 14 to obtain a more uniform consistency or will operate to return material to the hopper when it is desired to reduce or stop flow to the applicator. The pump 34 is conveniently connected to a drive shaft 28 which is driven by a motor 27. The motor may be of any convenient type but is preferably an internal combustion motor if an electric supply is not available. The drive shaft may pass through a clutch mechanism 26 which has a clutch-engaging means such as lever 25. The by-pass allows the pump 34 to be driven continuously and the clutch 26 is not required other than for convenience in starting the motor, for example. It is conceived that different means may be utilized for furnishing material to the applicator and applying pressure thereon and the above should be construed as, in a sense, diagrammatic.

Referring now to FIG. 2, a typical applicator has a channel-shaped body 56. A closure plate 57 generally overlies the body and is attached thereto my means of a plurality of bolts 58 passing through block 59. The closure plate is adjustable to provide a selectively adjustable slot 60 at the back side of the body 56. Under ordinary operating conditions, the material 14 will be extruded through the slot and the slot will be approximately the thickness of the material to be applied. The ends of the body 56 are closed by end plates 61 which are attached to the body by a plurality of bolts 62. Attached to the body 56 are couplings overlying openings 63. The couplings are attached to inlet pipes 53 by means of nuts 54. As illustrated in FIG. 1, there are two such inlet pipes attached to the handle 51, however, it is contemplated that other means may be used to distribute the material .14 to the body 56 and that a different number of inlet pipes may be utilized. The handle 51 (shown in exaggerated diameter in FIG. 1) may be of any length, but is preferably of a length suflicient to allow an operator 4!! to reach the ceiling while standing on the floor 20. The valve 52 may be located at any convenient spot adjacent to the applicator 50 but should have a control handle 49 in a position convenient to the operator 40. Attached to the back side of the body 56 is a blade 66 attached to the body by a plurality of bolts 65. The blade is conveniently adjustable on the body and, as best shown in FIG. 2, is flexible so that it pushes the material against the surface 10 and blades it to a generally smooth finish.

It is now deemed obvious, that in a typical apparatus for use in the process of this invention, the workman 40 may start the motor 27, and engage the clutch 26 to start the pump 34. The pump will draw plastic material 14 from the hopper 33 and will recirculate the material through the by-pass until the workman is ready to use the applicator 50. The pump, conveniently being a constant displacement type pump, will pump the material in a generally uniform stream and maintain a substantially constant uniform pressure on the material. The operator 40 may open the valve 52 to allow the material to flow to the body 56 and the material will be extruded through the slot 60 at a substantially constant rate. The operator will then move the applicator over the surface at a generally uniform rate to apply the material in a strip on the surface while maintaining the discharge slot spaced from the surface a distance generally equal to the desired thickness of the layer being applied. The operator will orient the applicator during such application to substantially maintain the troweling blade 66 against the material extruded to generally press the material against the surface 10 and strike off the material to obtain a substantially smooth surface. The skill of the operator is important in achieving the smooth, finished surface; however, a minimum amount of experience is all that is required to achieve acceptable results. At the end of a strip being applied, the operator 40 will close the valve 52 to remove the pressure on the material in the applicator and thereby interrupt the extrusion of the material. A plurality of strips generally contiguous to each other may be similarly applied to cover the desired surface area.

When electrical wires 11 are attached to the surface, as illustrated in FIG. 1, the method is similar to that described above. After the valve 52 has been opened, the operator 40 will substantially move the applicator 50 over the surface at a generally uniform rate in a direction generally parallel to the run of wires and with the applicator guiding along at least two of the wires to fill the void therebetween. As stated above, the wires 11 may be secured in any convenient manner, however, when the method of the present invention is utilized, any manner of temporarily secuirng the wires is sufficient. This is because the plastic material is of a nature that it adheres to the wires 11 and the surface 10 thus securing the wires to the surface. The type of material will be explained more fully infra. By guiding the applicator along the wires, the material 14 is applied at a thickness generally equal to the thickness of the wires 11 and with a generally smooth surface. Such an application generally imbeds the Wires in a layer 15 of plastic material and only a trace 12 of the Wires will generally be seen. A finish coat of any desired character may be applied over the first layer 15 and, as illustrated in FIG. 1, may be a substantially smooth second coating of plastic material applied in the method described above.

The plastic material utilized in this method is preferably a ready-mixed joint compound of the kind readily found on the market. These compounds are vinyl adhesive, all-purpose products which come ready for use and require no additional ingredients such as Water. These compounds have the characteristic of being fast drying so that a second coat may be applied the next day, for example. Such drying-type materials are contrasted to setting-type materials such as gypsum plaster. In addition, these compounds are highly adhesive and will readily adhere to any surface, even a concrete surface, and will easily secure electrical wires to such a surface. Ordinary plaster will not adhere to concrete unless a bond coat is first applied. Such is not required with the above-described preferred material. Additionally the joint compound will provide a generally smooth finished surface by utilizing a layer of material approximately one-eighth inch thick. Plaster, by comparison is normally a As" brown coat plus a 5 finish coat. Thus the joint compound is only about one-fifth the weight of plaster. In high-rise buildings this is considerable savings both in transporting material and in dead weight added to the structure.

Thus, it can be seen that this method provides a convenient, simple, fast, and economical method of coating ceilings or walls of buildings. No scaffolding is required and a minimum amount of apparatus and supplies are utilized. In addition, the present invention is readily utilized as a method for finishing a surface having electrical wires attached thereto.

While we have thus described the method of the present invention, it has been done by way of illustration and not limitation, and we do not wish the invention to be limited except as required by the appended claims.

We claim:

1. A method of securing loose electrical heating elements to existing ceiling and wall surfaces with an extruded layer of a vinyl adhesive material utilizing an applicator having a discharge slot, including the steps of:

(a) securing a plurality of generally parallel runs of loose electrical heating elements to the surface adjacent the ends of the runs;

(b) extruding the material through the discharge slot at a generally uniform rate;

(c) guiding the applicator along at least one of the runs while moving the applicator over the surface and applying the material in a strip to fill the void between the runs; and

(d) similarly applying a plurality of contiguous strips to cover the desired surface area and to substantially secure the elements to the surface.

2. A method as set forth in claim 1 including the steps of: allowing the material to dry, applying a second coat of material by moving the applicator over the surface with the discharge slot spaced from the surface a distance approximating the desired thickness of the second coat to completely imbed the electrical heating elements in the material, and striking off the material to obtain a substantially smooth surface.

3. A method of securing loose electrical heating wires to ceiling and wall surfaces with an extruded layer of a vinyl adhesive material using an applicator having a discharge slot and a following trowelling blade which includes the steps of:

(a) preliminarily attaching loose electrical heating wires to the surfaces in generally parallel runs,

(b) pumping the vinyl adhesive material to the applicator in a generally uniform stream,

(c) maintaining a substantially constant uniform pressure on the material to extrude the material through the discharge slot of the applicator at a substantially constant rate,

(d) guiding the applicator along at least two of the wires in a direction generally parallel to the run of wires and moving the applicator over the surface at a generally uniform rate to apply the material in a strip on the surface and fill the void between the Wires to thereby substantially secure the wires to the surface and to apply the material in a generally uniform thickness,

(e) orienting the applicator during such application to substantially maintain the trowelling blade against the material extruded to generally press the material against the building surface and strike-01f the material to obtain a substantially smooth surface,

(h) after the material has dried, applying a second coat of vinyl adhesive material by moving the applicator over the surface of the first coat at a generally uniform rate With the discharge slot spaced from the surface a distance generally equal to the desired thickness of the layer being applied; and

(i) striking off the material to obtain a substantially smooth surface.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 3,069,522 12/1962 Jaminson 2l9213 X 3,277,273 10/1966 Williams 2l92l3 X FOREIGN PATENTS 898,905 6/1962 Great Britain.

ROBERT F. WHITE, Primary Examiner.

K. J. HOVET, Assistant Examiner. 

